FBI warns Android users about malware attacks

The FBI recommends you protect your phone with a passcode and enable the screen lock feature. (AP)

WASHINGTON – The FBI is warning Android owners to beware of malware that is targeting the operating system.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center says Android users will receive a message promising lucrative pay for sending emails from home. If a user clicks on a link called “Loozon,” the malware will steal the user’s address book and phone number.

“FinFisher” is another malware that can be transmitted to Androids when the user visits a hyperlink or opens a text message that look like a system update. The spyware can control and monitor the phone no matter where the user is located, according to the center.

A recent study by the National Cyber Security Alliance and the security firm McAfee says one out of every four Americans had personal identification lost or stolen due to a data breach in the past year.